Chapter 20 of The Crime of the French Café and Other is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Crime of the French Café and Other is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SOME CLEVER TRICKS EXPLAINED. No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house. Instantly Millie Stevens appeared upon the threshold of the parlor. "Horace!" she cried. "Tell me it is not true.
Chapter 20 of The Crime of the French Café and Other is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading “SOME CLEVER TRICKS EXPLAINED.”
Roman lyric poet said to have influenced English poetry (65-8 BC)
From this reading “"Horace!" she cried.”
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading “No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.”
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading “Instantly Millie Stevens appeared upon the threshold of the parlor.”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.”
United States psychologist and psychophysicist who proposed Stevens' power law to replace Fechner's law (1906-1973)
From this reading “Instantly Millie Stevens appeared upon the threshold of the parlor.”
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading “Instantly Millie Stevens appeared upon the threshold of the parlor.”
plural of “trick” — a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading “SOME CLEVER TRICKS EXPLAINED.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Instantly Millie Stevens appeared upon the threshold of the parlor.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading SOME CLEVER TRICKS EXPLAINED.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Horace!" she cried.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading SOME CLEVER TRICKS EXPLAINED.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
Roman lyric poet said to have influenced English poetry (65-8 BC)
From this reading "Horace!" she cried.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading Instantly Millie Stevens appeared upon the threshold of the parlor.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Tell me it is not true.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Tell me it is not true.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Tell me it is not true.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Instantly Millie Stevens appeared upon the threshold of the parlor.
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
not any; not one
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Tell me it is not true.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Instantly Millie Stevens appeared upon the threshold of the parlor.
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading Instantly Millie Stevens appeared upon the threshold of the parlor.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Horace!" she cried.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading SOME CLEVER TRICKS EXPLAINED.
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
United States psychologist and psychophysicist who proposed Stevens' power law to replace Fechner's law (1906-1973)
From this reading Instantly Millie Stevens appeared upon the threshold of the parlor.
express in words
From this reading "Tell me it is not true.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading Instantly Millie Stevens appeared upon the threshold of the parlor.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
plural of “trick” — a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading SOME CLEVER TRICKS EXPLAINED.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading "Tell me it is not true.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Instantly Millie Stevens appeared upon the threshold of the parlor.
communicated in words
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
the words that are spoken
From this reading No sooner had Nick uttered these words than a loud cry rang through the house.
Chapter 20 of The Crime of the French Café and Other by Nicholas (House name) Carter holds 163 sentences, grouped into 33 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 20 holds 163 sentences of The Crime of the French Café and Other, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Crime of the French Café and Other by Nicholas (House name) Carter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 163 sentences, grouped into 33 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 20 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Crime of the French Café and Other by Nicholas (House name) Carter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4158 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11989 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11989, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 346 minutes of reading across 832 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Crime of the French Café and Other section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Crime of the French Café and Other to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Crime of the French Café and Other, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
